All pictures, calligraphy, and artwork on this blog are the work of the author unless otherwise noted.

13 Nov 2008 at 1:17am
Recently, I found myself wandering around the streets of Kyoto. In Kyoto, you can still see real Geisha tip toeing thru the streets in their sandals. I entered an old tradition restaurant and was greeted by the above art work. It reads buji or simply translated, O.K. or alright. It is a favorite of Zen practitioners and the only reason I can read this very broken style of writing is because my ink painting teacher often writes it. When I mentioned to the Master that I liked it, he was astounded that I could read it and the nearby table of Japanese all gasped in amazement because, as they admitted, they could not read it themselves and were wondering what it said!

This simple saying is so important to us as martial artists too. It reverberates thru the concepts of Fu Dou Shin ( The Immoveable Heart), Hei Jyo Shin (One`s Natural state of Heart), Nintai (Perseverance), and more. It`s roots reach deep within martial thought and some say is the most important concept.

In the Gyokko Ryu Joraku as stated in the post of ( ), ?With the sole desire that all will be well, with a kiai, you enter in..?. It is this knowing that all will be O.K. that is so important. Whatever happens, know that you will be O.K. Recently when there was commotion about not having a location for our yearly martial arts festival here in Japan, my teacher remarked happily, ?you don`t have to know where it will be or even when it will be. You just have to know that it will be a huge success?. Once again I found myself humbled by his light.

There is a saying I like to recall, ?even if our hearts my be broken, our spirit never will?. Or recall the teachings from the ?Mysterious Techniques of the Cat? and know that even the sharpest weapons of your opponent will not defeat you. Know this and allow peace to enter your heart. Everything will be alright! Buji!

????alright, no happenings?
27 Oct 2008 at 8:45am
The post on October 25 relating to sutemi reminded me of ?Hai sui no jin? or encamped (dug in) with your back to the water. When the famous Chinese General Kou u (Japanese pronunciation) placed his troops, against all common warfare sense, with their backs to a body of water, destroyed their boats, and all food provisions except for three days, he was using a form of sutemi not only for himself but for his whole army as well. His army had no where to go but thru the enemy or meet a certain death.

With only death awaiting them, his troops fought the hardest and most brutally they could, eventually defeating their opponent. This is related to a concept call ?shinimono guri? in Japanese. The idea that if someone or animal is trapped in a certain death situation, they will fight most powerfully in a sort of ?crazed death struggle?. This is why it is important to leave an escape route for your opponent, so as not to receive the full force of their attack. You can then attack more safely as your opponent retreats. Defending while retreating is most difficult. This is true not only for mass armies but for individual opponents as well.

?????hai sui no jin

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